Tom Brady feeling like a rookie as Patriots camp kicks in

By Eric Mchugh

Tuesday

Jul 31, 2007 at 12:01 AMJul 31, 2007 at 4:04 PM

He’s looking at 30 and feeling great. He defied the odds in 2001. Now he’s defying his birth certificate.

His 30th birthday is lurking in the weeds like a blitzing safety creeping up to the line of scrimmage. (It’s next Friday, if you’re thinking of sending cards or flowers or a used copy of “I, Robot.”) A baby’s on the way, too, but hold the mid-football-life crisis for Tom Brady.

He defied the odds in 2001. Now he’s defying his birth certificate.

“I still feel like I’m 22,” Brady said with a grin. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”

Since the 22-year-old Brady was a scrawny, anonymous rookie, the Patriots probably prefer the more seasoned (and decorated) one. Of course, that accumulated knowledge (he’s also accumulated some fancy rings and two Super Bowl MVP awards) comes at a cost. He’s tossed 3,064 passes during the regular season, 486 in the playoffs and about a bazillion more out behind Gillette Stadium.

Now the old geezer admits he’s started to keep count. Brady said he’s “monitoring” his throws at training camp. That’s a synonym for “reducing.”

“We have three quarterbacks in camp,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Sunday, on the third day of workouts, “so that definitely means that both Matts (backup Matt Cassel and third-stringer Matt Gutierrez) have to throw a little more We’ve taken some throws away from Tom and pushed them to Cassel, especially in team settings.”

Brady’s arm weariness has been an occasional topic of conversation – either when he has taken days off early in camp or when he has struggled during the year (as he did at the start of the 2006 campaign). Consider this some preventative medicine.

“Before I’d come out and I’d throw 100 balls a day,” Brady said. “After a while, you throw 100 balls here at practice, that’s 200 balls a day in two-a-days, and you go, ‘After four days, why is my arm sore?’ Well, because you’re throwing (so much). You think about what major league baseball pitchers do – they throw 100 pitches and take five days off.”

So the next time Brady skips a practice, maybe it won’t be a big story. Of course, it’s not like the media vultures are dying for story lines about the All-American Thirtysomething. In fact, this is shaping up as a fascinating season for Brady watchers.

First, off the field. In case you’ve been in cryogenic sleep on one of the moons of Jupiter for the last few months, you know that Brady’s former galpal, actress Bridget Moynahan, is preggers with the ex-couple’s child. Brady, who has traded up to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, is about to become a daddy.

Told that stars such as LeBron James, Tiger Woods and Jeff Gordon have seen a spike in their performance after babies came to town, Brady just laughed. “I hope that’s a good omen, but I hope that doesn’t determine whether I’m having a good year or not. As a team, we gotta come out here and make it a great year. As Coach Belichick says, you gotta earn it.”

Coincidence or not, the entire Patriots offseason seemed like a long baby shower for Brady.

Think of all the thank-you cards he’s had to write to Belichick and Scott Pioli.

“I’m excited,” Brady said.

Moss, of course, is the big present. Yes, there’s a well-documented downside. But the upside? Oooo-weee! Brady bragged Sunday that he’s already beaten Moss in poker, and he’s betting that his new best buddy can help him cash in on the field, too.

“He does a lot of great things out here,” Brady said. “And he’s a very, very smart football player. He’s one of those guys who can see things on the field and react without you really having to tell him. He’s very much like a quarterback in that sense. It’s been good thus far. I’d like to hit him a few more times. I think I’ve missed him a few times.”

One of those times came late in practice when Brady chucked one deep for Moss in the back of the end zone – a jump ball that fell to the ground as Moss tried to elevate between safety Eugene Wilson and cornerback Ellis Hobbs. Brady said he’d be judicious about throwing into double coverage, noting that it’s his job to find the most favorable one-on-one matchup.

But figure the Patriots will roll the dice on that one-versus-two again, considering that skywalking is the 6-4 Moss’ signature move.

“One of Randy’s greatest strengths, I think, is he tracks the ball in the air very well,” Brady said. “You guys see it. Everything looks effortless down the field. He really judges the height of the ball, like a center fielder. He knows when to put his hands out, knows not to do it too early because that really triggers the defensive back to put his hands up. That’s a big strength of his game. I hope I can throw it as far as he can run.”

The fans have embraced Moss like a long-lost son. The record-setting crowd at Sunday morning’s session (7,975) exploded in cheers every time Moss hauled in a pass during skeleton (no defense) passing drills. No, they weren’t very discerning. At one point the entire offense received a standing ovation as it took a group penalty lap around the field.

Who cares about transgressions? The sky’s the limit for the Patriots – Asante Samuel or no Asante Samuel – and Brady is the trigger man. He has experience breaking in a slew of new targets, although last year’s post-Deion Branch landscape was tough to navigate at first. For example, five weeks into the season, Brady ranked 26th in the NFL in completion percentage (54.3).

So what’s the due date on this year’s midseason stride?

“It’s a process,” Brady said. “Sometimes it happens sooner rather than later. I’d like to think we’re going to pick it up pretty quick, though. I hope it doesn’t take until the first game of the year. I hope that after 30 or 40 practices we have a pretty good idea of what we’re all capable of.”

Eric McHugh may be reached at emchugh@ledger.com.

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